Sufentanil vs fentanyl for fast-track cardiac anaesthesia

A perioperative anaesthetic management that aims to facilitate tracheal extubation of patients within 1-6 hrs after cardiac surgery is called "fast-track". Main advantage of "fast-track" method is better usage of medical resources and lowering hospital costs without increasing morbidity and mortality of the patients. Standard fast-track protocols contain short acting anaesthetic agents, smaller incisions and decreased pump times without hypothermia. In this study we compared two short acting opioid drugs, fentanyl versus Sufentanil when used as a part of the balanced anaesthesia technique for fast track in cardiac surgery patients & evaluated the time taken for extubation, haemodynamic stability, analgesia requirements & incidence of awareness. The results from the study show that both agents provide good haemodynamic stability and postoperative analgesia. Although Sufentanil provides earlier extubation, both agents reduce the ICU stay equally. In conclusion both agents can be used effectively for fasttrack cardiac anaesthesia.